Agriculture Fundamentals

Human Energy Needs

• Sedentary adult: 1800-2200 calories/day
• Active adult: 2500-3500 calories/day
• Heavy labor: 3500-5000+ calories/day
• Children: 1000-2000 calories/day depending on age
• Pregnant/nursing: +300-500 calories/day

In survival scenario, you WILL be doing heavy labor. Plan for 3000+ calories per adult per day.

Calorie-Dense Crops (Priority)

• Potatoes: 3500 cal/lb. 15-20 tons/acre. Easy to grow, store well. THE survival crop.
• Sweet potatoes: 3900 cal/lb. 10-15 tons/acre. Needs longer season, more heat.
• Corn (maize): 1600 cal/lb dry. 50-100 bushels/acre (2800-5600 lb). Requires processing.
• Beans (dry): 1600 cal/lb dry. Nitrogen fixer. Store for years. 20-40 bushels/acre.
• Wheat: 1500 cal/lb. 30-60 bushels/acre. Requires processing but stores indefinitely.
• Rice: 1600 cal/lb. 3000-6000 lb/acre. Needs lots of water or paddy system.
• Squash (winter): 200 cal/lb fresh. Stores 3-6 months. 10-20 tons/acre.

DIY: A 100x100ft plot (0.23 acres) of potatoes can feed one person for a year at ~3500 cal/day. One acre can support 4-5 people on potatoes alone.

Soil Composition

• Mineral (sand/silt/clay): 45% - provides structure and some nutrients
• Water: 25% - held in pore spaces
• Air: 25% - roots need oxygen
• Organic matter: 5% - critical for fertility, water retention, soil life

Ideal soil is loam: roughly 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay. Has good drainage but retains moisture and nutrients.

Soil Testing

Simple tests:

• Jar test: Put soil in jar with water, shake, let settle. Sand settles first (1 min), silt (1 hour), clay (days). Measure layers.
• Ribbon test: Wet soil, roll between fingers. Long ribbon = high clay. Falls apart = sandy.
• Drainage test: Dig 1ft hole, fill with water, let drain, fill again. Should drain within few hours. Too fast = sandy. Too slow = clay.
• pH test: Cheap test kit from garden store. Most vegetables want 6.0-7.0.

Source: pH test kits $5-15 at garden centers. Professional soil tests $15-30 through county extension.

Building Soil Fertility

• Compost: Decomposed organic matter. The best amendment. Make from kitchen scraps, yard waste, animal manure.
• Manure: Cow, horse, chicken, rabbit. Age 6 months or compost before using. Chicken manure is "hot" - very strong.
• Cover crops: Plants grown to be turned into soil. Legumes (clover, vetch, beans) fix nitrogen. Rye, buckwheat add organic matter.
• Biochar: Charcoal added to soil. Holds nutrients, provides habitat for beneficial microbes. Ancient technique (terra preta).
• Leaf mold: Decomposed leaves. Excellent, free soil amendment.
• Never leave soil bare: Mulch or plant cover crops. Bare soil dies.

DIY Compost: Pile of greens (kitchen scraps, grass) and browns (leaves, paper, straw). Turn occasionally. Ready in 3-12 months depending on method. Faster = smaller pieces, more turning, proper moisture.

NPK - The Big Three

• Nitrogen (N): Leaf growth. Sources: manure, blood meal, legumes, grass clippings.
• Phosphorus (P): Root and flower development. Sources: bone meal, rock phosphate, manure.
• Potassium (K): Overall plant health, disease resistance. Sources: wood ash, greensand, kelp meal.

DIY Fertilizer: Compost tea (steep compost in water, dilute to color of weak tea). Urine diluted 10:1 with water - high nitrogen. Wood ash - potassium (use sparingly, raises pH).

Row Gardening

Traditional method. Plant in rows with paths between. Requires tillage. Good for large scale, machinery.

Pros: Familiar, easy to cultivate, good for grain crops

Cons: Wastes space on paths, requires equipment, disrupts soil structure

Raised Beds

Plant in mounds or framed beds, typically 4ft wide with paths between. Never step on beds. Intensive planting.

Pros: Better drainage, earlier warming in spring, no tillage needed after establishment, higher yields per sq ft

Cons: Initial setup cost/labor, more watering in hot climates

DIY: Mounded soil works (no frame needed). Frame materials: lumber (avoid treated wood), concrete blocks, logs, stones. 6-12 inches deep minimum.

Square Foot Gardening

Intensive method using raised beds divided into 1ft squares. Each square planted with different crop. High yields in small space.

Pros: Very efficient, easy to plan, good for beginners

Cons: Requires more frequent planting/harvesting, not ideal for large calorie crops

Source: "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. Widely available technique.

No-Till / Lasagna Gardening

Build soil by layering organic materials on top. No digging. Cardboard or newspaper base kills grass/weeds.

Pros: Preserves soil structure, builds organic matter rapidly, less work

Cons: Takes time to establish, needs lots of organic material

DIY: Layer cardboard over grass, then: brown (leaves, straw), green (grass, kitchen scraps), repeat 3+ layers. Top with compost. Plant immediately or let decompose 3-6 months.

Permaculture

Design system creating sustainable, self-maintaining landscapes. Mimics natural ecosystems. Uses perennial plants, guilds (beneficial plant groupings), zones (by use frequency).

Pros: Low maintenance once established, resilient, diverse yields

Cons: Takes years to establish, complex design, lower annual yields initially

Source: "Permaculture: A Designer's Manual" by Bill Mollison. "Gaia's Garden" by Toby Hemenway (accessible introduction).

Hardiness Zones (USDA)

Determines what survives winter in your area. Zone 3 = -40F to -30F. Zone 10 = +30F to +40F. Most US is zones 4-8.

Know your zone. It determines planting dates, perennial crop choices, season length.

DIY: First/last frost dates more important than zone for annuals. Ask neighbors, county extension, or observe when others plant.

Succession Planting

Plant same crop in intervals for continuous harvest. Example: Plant lettuce every 2 weeks spring through fall.

Or plant quick crops before/after slow crops. Example: Radishes (30 days) before beans (60 days) in same space.

Crop Rotation

Don't plant same family in same place year after year. Depletes specific nutrients, builds up pests/diseases.

Simple rotation: Year 1: Heavy feeders (tomatoes, corn). Year 2: Heavy givers (beans, peas). Year 3: Light feeders (root crops). Repeat.

Even simpler: Never plant nightshades (tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant) in same place 2 years in a row. Same for brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale).

Why Save Seeds

• Independence from seed companies
• Adaptation to your local conditions over generations
• Preserve heirloom varieties
• Cost savings
• Required for civilization restart - no new seed shipments

Basic Principles

• Open-pollinated (OP) varieties: Seeds grow true to type. Can be saved. Heirlooms are OP.
• Hybrid (F1): Seeds will NOT grow true. Don't save seeds from hybrids. Usually labeled F1.
• Self-pollinating: Easy to save. Beans, peas, tomatoes, lettuce. Minimal cross-pollination.
• Cross-pollinating: Need isolation distance or technique. Corn, squash, brassicas. Pollen travels.

Source: "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth - the definitive guide. Heirloom seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, Baker Creek, local seed swaps.

Seed Saving by Crop

Beans/Peas: Let pods dry on plant. Shell, store dry. Easy. 5+ year viability.

Tomatoes: Scoop seeds from ripe fruit, ferment in water 2-3 days (removes germination inhibitor), rinse, dry. 4-10 year viability.

Lettuce: Let plant bolt (flower). Collect seeds as flower heads dry. Shake into bag. 5+ year viability.

Squash: Grow only one variety of each species, or hand-pollinate. Let fruit fully ripen. Scoop seeds, dry. 4+ year viability.

Corn: Needs large population (100+ plants) to maintain genetic diversity. Hand-pollinate or isolate 1/4+ mile. Dry on stalk. 5+ year viability.

Potatoes: Plant seed potatoes (tubers), not true seed. Save small potatoes from harvest. Each grows clone of parent.

Seed Storage

• Dry: Moisture kills seeds. Desiccant packets help. Test by bending - should snap, not bend.
• Cool: Cooler = longer life. Freezer best for long-term (seal in jar). Fridge next best.
• Dark: Light degrades seeds. Opaque containers.
• Airtight: Prevents moisture and pests. Mason jars, mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

DIY: Glass jars in cool basement work for 2-5 years. Freezer in sealed jars with desiccant = 10-20+ years for many crops.

Essential Tools

• Shovel/spade: Digging, turning compost. Flat spade for edging, pointed for digging.
• Garden fork: Turning soil, harvesting root crops, compost.
• Hoe: Weeding, making furrows. Scuffle hoe for cutting weeds, draw hoe for chopping.
• Hand trowel: Planting, transplanting. Get a sturdy one.
• Pruners: Harvesting, pruning. Bypass (scissor action) better than anvil for live plants.
• Rake: Leveling soil, collecting debris. Bow rake for soil, leaf rake for leaves.
• Wheelbarrow: Moving soil, compost, harvest. Two-wheeled more stable.
• Watering can/hose: Irrigation.

Source: Quality tools at hardware stores, garden centers. Used tools at estate sales. Avoid cheapest - they break. Brands: Fiskars, Corona, True Temper, Felco (pruners).

DIY: Tools can be made from scavenged materials. Shovel from flat metal and wood handle. Hoe from old hoe head and branch. Many old tools can be restored.

Tool Maintenance

• Clean after use: Wipe off soil, sap. Prevents rust and disease spread.
• Sharpen regularly: Hoes, shovels, pruners. File or whetstone.
• Oil metal parts: Prevents rust. Any oil works (motor oil, vegetable oil, linseed oil).
• Handle care: Sand smooth, oil with linseed oil. Replace broken handles.
• Store dry: Hang or rack. Never leave on ground.